Respuesta escolar a los niños y niñas en situación de acogimiento residencialentre la inclusión y la exclusión educativa. Estudios de caso

Abstract

ABSTRACT Several studies conducted at a national and international level have shown a significant gap in the educational level of children in care, in comparison with the average (O´Higgins et al., 2015). This fact has led experts in the field to consider children and young people in care to be one of the most vulnerable groups in western society when it comes to education (Hedin, Höjer & Brunnberg, 2011; Vacca, 2008; Zetlin & Weinberg, 2004). And of those, those children and young people in residential care appear to be in the most adverse situation (Montserrat and Casas, 2017). There is a clear relationship between possessing a low educational level and the risk of suffering situations of social exclusion (Jackson and Cameron, 2014), which makes education a key area in which to better the present and future welfare of this population. However, the vast majority of research in this area has focused on analyzing the functioning of the protection system, as a protective element or obstacle to the educational development of this population. It cannot be said that there has been a similar emphasis on the role played by schools. Although actions that come within the purview of schools have been repeatedly mentioned, they have rarely been analyzed in depth. Therefore, this thesis aims to discover and understand the school response received by children in residential care. To achieve this, a theoretical approach addressing binomial inclusion-exclusion in education has been taken, as a perspective that can complement what is already known about the education of the in-care population. The stated purpose has been divided into a series of specific objectives that range from the perception of professionals in schools towards students in care, to the measures and strategies put in place by schools – as well as the quality of coordination between the schools and care homes. This analysis has additionally been framed by an exploration of the legislative and administrative landscape protecting children in residential care. To best achieve the proposed objectives, the schools form the context for analysis, through a multiple-case-study model (Stake, 2005) focusing on three schools that count children in care amongst their students. Interviews with school professionals (management team, teachers and counsellors) form the bulk of the research, complemented with the observation and review of documents. The information collected from inside the schools has been contrasted with the voices of key informants from care homes, and completed with an interview with a professional from the Department of Education. When speaking of their students in residential care, the school professionals emphasized emotional and behavioral aspects over academic. They showed sensitivity towards the students, but also – in those cases without a preventive coexistence plan – frustration in the face of behavioral problems. They pointed out that, once students had adapted the school environment, they saw general progress in them. Nonetheless, they did not show high expectations of the students’ academic futures. However, teacher’s attitudes emerged as a differentiating element, affecting their mode of perceiving the children and how they treated them. The actions of schools were found to be motivated more by common sense than by established, formal procedures – as was the case with measures put in place when faced with the late enrollment of students. The most prominent aspect common to all three schools studied was the creation of an emotional environment through teacher involvement. However, there were found to be much clearer and more defined interventions when it came to addressing the children’s academic needs, rather than emotional and behavioral ones. On the other hand, aspects such as lack of training, information and structural support appeared as impediments to the teachers’ work: which can potential cause barriers in the education of the in-care population. The coordination between schools and care homes was highlighted, by professionals from both institutions, as being key to the education of the in-care population. In the context studied, coordination was generally viewed positively, due largely to years of co-working. The lived reality studied leads us to conclude that there is no existing, specific school response to the population in residential care. However, the educational and social inclusion of children in residential care is not guaranteed by the academic success of a school alone, but also requires a firm commitment on the part of the education system, schools and teachers. With this in mind, this thesis ends with a proposal for action for school response to students living in residential care.